Re: Alpha mags,problem appears solved now
I have 2 type 3's and 3 type 4's, all of which were ordered at the same time, all of which were billed as handling the 284 Win.
The type 3's were in stock at the time of order and the type 4s were "2 weeks out". I received the type 3s promptly. After a month or so, I called to inquire about the type 4s. They were "two weeks out" because they had been poorly coated at the coat shop. No problem. A month or two later I called to inquire again, and they were "two weeks out" because the coating shop had done a poor job of coating them. I received an apology for them being so late, and was told I'd receive an extra free of charge for the trouble. A few weeks later, I received 3 magazines I ordered, and only the 3 magazines I ordered, no extra.
I didn't call and bitch to try and finagle the "free" magazine - I didn't vote for the "free stuff" politicians on November 6th, and I'm not about trying to get free stuff, so I could care less about that part.
However, I was bothered that I kept getting the all-too-common "two weeks out" line that we have become so accustomed to in the firearms industry.
I get it - a lot of businesses are small outfits being run in entrepreneur's free time. I think we all get it. Lead times are not always as fast as we would like, because there is high demand and relatively little supply.
I think the concept of under promise and over deliver is applicable here. If you really, really think you can deliver the product in 10 weeks, quote 14. That way, if you can actually deliver in 10 weeks, the customer will be extremely pleased. If you take the 14, they're not upset, because they are getting exactly what they were told they would. Moreover, <span style="font-style: italic">pro-active</span> contact in the form of a phone call or email alerting the customer that circumstances have changed, and there will be a delay goes a LONG way towards placating them. People are generally reasonable, especially in our game.
I used to build race engines and general racecar fabrication. I was very often beholden to suppliers and subcontractors. After way too many missed deadlines, I learned that for my line of work, to estimate an accurate timeline, I had to do my damndest to come up with what I thought was totally doable, and then multiply it by 3.
The real complication was that if I calculated a [real] 24 week timeline, the customer would scoff, and take their business to the schmuck that would lie to them and quote 8 weeks! I initially lost a lot of customers that way, but after a while, my popularity took off because people knew they'd get a REAL timeline from me they could count on.
Anyway, my type 3s and 4s work pretty well. They fit my CDI bottom metal better than AICS mags, and don't balloon and get too tight. However, they aren't optimal for the 284, which is understandable because it's a 'tweener cartridge. Fatter than a standard .473" cartridge, but skinnier than a magnum. What's more, the ramp on the follower is positioned perfect for 300WSM and 7WSM cartridges, making it too short for the 284. It creates a fulcrum about which the cartridges can rock. If they choose to rock back (only happens occasionally), the bolt can ride over the rim and cause a jam. Luckily, the jam only happens on the last round in the magazine, and can be fixed by simply pulling the bolt back 1/2-3/4" and pushing forward again. Just my experience. Mind you, these magazines are "for" the WSM cartridges and not the 284. Still, I think if the follower ramp were .200" further forward, they'd work great for both the WSM and the 284.
That's my take on Alpha. Carry on.
